Feedback for Strava's new maps (OpenStreetMap)

Strava is actively working with Mapbox (the open source mapping platform that supplies us with OpenStreetMap) to make sure we offer the best mapping experience for our athletes.

Mapbox gives us the opportunity to create customized maps that fit aesthetically and functionally with Strava. With open source data, errors or missing map assets can be fixed quickly and efficiently, creating the most detailed and robust maps for cycling and running. We believe in the potential and power of maps by OSM and we're focused on giving the Strava community the best experience possible.

Where did Street View go?

Mapbox does not provide Street View functionality at this time. We realize this functionality was valuable for some athletes; we'll do our best to re-incorporate it when possible.

August 14th, 2015:

We’re 100% committed to making Strava better for our athletes, and we hear you loud and clear regarding this switch from Google Maps to OSM. We didn’t anticipate how strongly some of our athletes would react to the change and apologize that it was a sudden disappointment to some of you. We could have done a better job explaining our reasoning and bracing you for the switch, handling the roll-out, taking more time to work with Mapbox, etc.

It may not seem like it now, but we believe deeply that changing to OSM is the best choice we can make for our athletes and our company. There is enormous potential and creative flexibility offered by the new maps and we ask that you stick with us and continue providing feedback as we bring that potential to fruition.

Your reports on the quality of the maps, such as missing map data and satellite image quality, can be addressed. We are working closely Mapbox, our OSM map provider, on both satellite imagery and road data and we’re invested in improving your experience. By providing specific examples of satellite and road data, we can act quickly to update the map data.

We've noted all your comments regarding street view, and understand how important it is to you. The top use for street view seems to center around segments, in viewing segment start and end coordinates as well as viewing the road surface and surroundings. Street view is still available when creating segments, and it may be possible to return street view to other areas of the segment experience. We will have more to share on this soon.

Our designers are compiling initial thoughts on how Strava can leverage certain styles, colors and shading to customize the map experience. We are already incorporating the existing feedback we’ve received here. Please continue to send us your feedback on how the look and feel of the maps can be improved.

- The Strava Team

August 21st, 2015:

When you visit a segment page, you can now click either endpoint of the segment to be brought to the street view for that location. Or, you can select one of the options from the map view menu (pictured below).

This addition is not meant to fully resolve your concerns about the switch to Mapbox. We're doing the best we can to respond to your feedback quickly while still maintaining our commitment to elevate your map experience with Mapbox. It's going to take time and we ask that you stick with us, and we'll continue to take your feedback to heart and iterate whenever possible.

September 2nd, 2015

We've just updated our maps to support four languages: English, French, German and Spanish. Now, if you're traveling or viewing the map in another country, you'll be able to see map labels and place names in your language.

How it works: If you have Strava set to one of the above four languages, you will see map labels in that language. For any other language that is not supported at this time, you will see the default map which displays regional language. To change your language preferences, use the menu at the bottom of any Strava page.

This map update also refreshes imagery for the Satellite map in select areas.

October 22nd, 2015

We're excited to announce updated maps in collaboration with Mapbox, featuring an intuitive display of map data and activity-specific styling. Designed especially with runners and cyclists in mind, we focused on a visual experience that would relay the map information we believe most helpful to our athletes:

Offset road labels for better visibility along activities

Visually distinct running and cycling paths

Highlighted pedestrian areas, outdoor areas, and parks

Vivid terrain styling and high-contrast mountain areas

Lower map label density for urban areas

Major highways and high-traffic roads de-prioritized in grey

Added points of interest most relevant to activity on Strava

Contour lines and elevation labels on satellite view

This is the first of several map projects we are working on as part of our ongoing goal to make your mapping experience on Strava more accurate, informative and rich.

Not only we lose Street View but also Satellite coverage is ridiculous. Here in Brazil we don't have coverage on almost every place I ride. As a mountain biker, satellite images are the basis of my "trail finding", now it is almost impossible. This is much like Street View is for road cycling, what are the intersections that I'll take, etc....

This looks like a decision based on MONEY, Google charges for the use of its maps on these apps, while OSM doen't. Is that true? As a Premium Member I'm really disapointed with Strava decision and will consider this when my subscription expires. I'm a Premium Member just for SUPPORT of this great team that builds Strava, the added features are not interesting to me. Now I see you guys taking a step back and, even worse, trying to give it a "good face" on this topic, shame on you!

Google is going the microsoft way....Yes GMaps is good as an underlying layer...I realized it the day they took off support from Oruxmaps...The app was brilliant but google had to do it..Mapbox and OSM....now thats a combi...we do have opencyclemaps too...but def not that detailed...its a pity strava is switching over..OSM is not that frequently updated as Gmaps were witgh respect to satellite imagery and streetview...heck..we in india are going to be one concerned bunch!

damn! in in India, and it looks like half the villages and lesser known landmarks have disappeared overnight! Up in the mountains, all the smaller roads are no longer there and satellite view is just one step away from pathetic. serious downgrade, especially for a "premium" user.

I think it's great that you ask for feedback on the new maps, but really disheartening to see you get overwhelmingly negative responses, but continue to press on with trying to improve the situation without answering any questions about the motivation behind the change?

I think I'll reluctantly be cancelling my premium subscription as well, after many years of supporting Strava. :/

We got: Satellite map in poor resolution, lack of Google Street View and OSM terrible color scheme. If I were a new user I wouldn't stay with Strava for more than one hour. If I were a premium member I would never extend it again. There are only two features why I won't leave: FlyBy and segments. But I've downloaded all my activites because I don't know what I can expect tomorrow.

" we appreciate your feedback here"

Feedback is clear - about 90% of users prefer Google and not accept OSM.

The best solution to the problem is add maps type settings in display preferences and say sorry to all athletes for the worst decision in Strava's history.

Strava has some really hacked off punters here and you (as the public face of the company) can't be bothered to address the points that have been raised. I do not think that this is not acceptable in any way shape or form and, to me at least, it smacks of downright rudeness and arrogance! Please can you demonstrate that you are taking our concerns seriously?

Losing Streetmaps is not a "challenge we must face and overcome." The feature Is clearly vital asset to a GPS tracking site such as Strava.

What's more alarming, is how a central theme of this site was swapped out without any consultation with premium users. I'm all for the future of open source, but not when it comes to a convenience factor for a site/app that I pay good money for. This thread has made it pretty obvious how most of us are payingfor premium in lieu of a donation. Frankly, I don't care much for Fitness/freshness and various extensions provide the rest.

As such, I'm inquiring as to whether I will be refunded pro rate for canceling my premium membership today. I'm unimpressed with Elle and Strava's response to this landslide of a thread.

@Strava: Thanks for adding OSM. The Standard and Terrain map you are currently using is wonderful compared to Google. The aerial is not so good where I live, but i hope and guess it will improve :)Your switch to OSM will keep me as a premium member! Keep up the good work. Thanks!

@Mike Humphreys: That's strange. It loads very fast for me. I never had any problems with tiles from Mapbox being slow. And I'm not payed by Mapbox either :pMy own tiles on the other hand, are a bit slower to load: http://mtbmap.no/

@douglaskubler. I appreciate the input from you and other users trying to offer alternative workarounds but I respectfully think you're missing the point. Taking us away from the interface is not a long term solution.

Based on Strava's reticence, This is clearly a money issue and since only a

Right now, the Standard and Terrain maps are basically the same on Strava (slight colour difference for some vegetation and the addition of terrain data). If you have two separate maps, use them accordingly to highlight different data on the two different maps. The Standard map needs different colours for different road hierarchy levels (highways > primary roads > ... > streets > ... > trails), that is just an absolute must. It is really so amazingly easy to design map styles with MapBox Studio, that I am literally shocked that one week after the change these features are not there. When they should have been there to start with from the beginning... You guys need to get a bit more professional!

(I am a member since March 2011, Premium since 2012, and the loss of Street View hurts a lot... Since there are so many free tools like Golden Cheetah that offer a much better data analysis functionality, I see it harder and harder to explain why I am paying for Strava at all, when the social feature and segments are also there for the free members. I went premium solely to support the site, since I got my proper, much more detailed data analysis on Golden Cheetah, or even Garmin Connect, but with the recent changes, it's getting pretty hard. I would like to see some real innovation...)

What I find disheartening is that no one from Strava has commented on the concerns that premium users are raising in this thread. I'm not expecting an immediate reversal of the decision to use OSM, but it would be nice to hear that Strava management has at least read our concerns and may table some of them at the next planning meeting. As of right now, it really does seem like no one at Strava is listening or cares what their paying customers are saying. Ignoring your paying customers is not a solid business plan.

Am I right in understanding that the OSM map and routing data used by Strava is only updated quarterly? Or is this just the routing data for the route builder?

Quarterly is a *huge* gap for repairs made to OSM. if you're going to push OSM on us, then at least let us contribute back in a useful way, where we can see the effects of our work. If we find a mistake, we can fix it, but if the fix takes 3 months to 'come back' then we don't actually know if we fixed it or not (you can't re-run the route or re-check the map tiles to see).

I generally think Google's maps are better than OSM, but if you're going to use OSM, at least make it a rewarding experience to improve the OSM for Strava, not a 3 month wait to see if you fixed it or made it worse.

Very disappointed in the OSM. I used Street View all the time for both safety and planning and it sounds like I am not the only one. As a Premium Subscriber I paid for a package of services, including Street View, and it has been taken away without consultation or adjustment to the fee. I like Strava but believe it is worth less than before and will have to seriously consider whether it is worthwhile to renew when the time comes.

BTW Strava, "Unfortunately, Google maps will not be returning to Strava even as an "on/off" toggle." sounds like "Go fuck your self" to this loyal customer, terrible PR and customer support

@Elle, perhaps your management could change their policy on not allowing you to comment properly on the hugely negative amounts of feedback that you are receiving here. We (the community) are grateful for your input and for reading our threads, but the frustration that's coming from not providing us with proper answers is showing a huge lack of respect from Strava's management towards their passionate user base.

Why does Strava feel that it's acceptable to alienate so many of your users, by forcing through a change that is obviously receiving so much resistance? OSM is actually a fantastic product but it can't ever be a REPLACEMENT for Google Maps - merely an alternative. This is a totally different situation to a company like Foursquare switching to OSM. Strava users actually NEED the precise information that Google offers through Street View and its very detailed Satellite imagery. Segments and safety depend on it and OSM simply isn't capable of providing that level of detail. Strava immediately becomes less usable as a result and no amount of playing with the OSM map presentation can change that. Does Strava really value finance more than athlete well-being?

Your management is forcing through an unpopular change which ISN'T a case of 'nobody likes change, we'll get used to it'. You and I both know that you have opted to force a technically inferior mapping service on your community and to hell with the consequences. Sadly this can't be defended.

Would your approach change if this issue suddenly gained publicity? Perhaps influential websites like Mashable or DCRainmaker covering the story would make you rethink? There isn't anything wrong with realising you've made a mistake and openly admitting it/correcting it. Take LinkedIn for example. They made a HUGE change recently in how users could download their data - but listened to their community and changed it back. They heard us. They listened. They didn't treat them with contempt. And they gained even more fans as a result because of their willingness to do the right thing.

Elle, please ask your management to read this message and the rest of this thread. This decision is wrong, you probably know it as much as we do, and Strava needs to do the right thing.

Quite like the new maps, especially that they indicate elevation. The loss of street view isn’t an issue for me since I rarely ever used it and if I’m really that desperate for it I can still fire open Google Maps. Or even better, Apple Maps (the only mapping tool that doesn’t zoom on scrollwheel). For me Strava is much more than a particular mapping implementation. The sky isn’t falling in and Strava remains great.